Bishop Baraga
was born south of Lublana (Slovenia) in 1797. He was influenced mainly by his
mother, who instilled in him a strong devotion to God and love for the
poor. He studied law at the University of Vienna, and mastered the
languages of English, French, German, Italian,
and Spanish. (Carantha)

On July 12, 1817, Baraga met
Father Clement Hofbauer, the grand master
in spirituality in Vienna also known as the Redemptorist.
Father Hofbauer inspired the young Baraga
to become a priest and in 1821, he entered the seminary at Lublana.
Two years later, he was ordained. His most famous work is his first
published book, Dusna Pasha (Pasture
of the Soul) “This Slovenian prayer book was a very sensation. In
1830, it was published first in 2000 copies, which were soon out of
print.” (Carantha)

Bishop Baraga is most noted for his missionary work with Indians
of the United States, particularly, the Great Lakes region. He
was the first priest to join the Diocese of Cincinnati, defending the
Indians while preaching Christian principles. He mastered the languages
of the Ottawa and Otchipwe, thus writing several
literary works including, Jesus ObimadisiwinOmaAking(The life of Jesus, Paris 1837) andKatolikEmaniad o NanagataVendamoMasinaigan (The mediation of the
Catholic Christian about the eternal truth, Detroit 1850). (Carantha)

On September
22, 1935, the bust of Bishop Baraga was unveiled by the Slovenes and
dedicated by Archbishop Dr. Gregory Rozman
of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
(Lederer, Clara. Their Paths Are Peace: The Story of Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens, p. 76)

A statue and shrine of Baraga currently stands in L’Anse, Baraga County, Michigan. (Plut-Pregelj, Leopoldina and Carole
Rogel, A
Historical Dictionary of Slovenia. p.25-6.)